'A great loss for Lebanon': Fairuz, mourners bid farewell to composer Ziad Rahbani

Mourners gathered in Beirut and in the northern town of Bikfaya to pay their respects to the late Ziad Rahbani, the famed Lebanese composer and playwright who passed away on Saturday aged 69.

Following his funeral procession in the Lebanese capital’s district of Hamra, Rahbani’s mother, the iconic singer Fairuz, was seen sat at the back of Mhaidseh's Greek Orthodox Church of Dormition, accompanied by her daughter, Rima Rahbani.

In footage broadcast on Lebanese and Arab channels, a visibly teary-eyed Fairuz and her daughter greeted mourners who came to pay their respects.

The 90-year-old singer was draped in black veil and wore sunglasses during the funeral. Choir renditions of the religious hymn "I am the grieving mother" echoed in the church’s hallway as Fairuz entered. The hymn is traditionally sung by the singer herself during the Easter period.

Rahbani, an icon of Lebanon’s musical scene and famed across the Arab world for his talent, musical contributions and political stances, died on Saturday after a long battle with liver cirrhosis. Rahbani had spent one month in hospital as his health rapidly deteriorated.  

Before his casket arrived in Bikfaya, Rahbani was honoured with a funeral procession in Beirut’s district of Hamra after his body was transported from the capital’s Khoury Hospital. As is custom, mourners threw flowers and rice grains, while others carried posters and banners paying tribute to him, and waved the national flag of Palestine and the Lebanese Communist Party, which Rahbani affiliated himself with.

Ululations and applause erupted from the late artist's fans, who gathered at the hospital's emergency exit to bid him farewell. His songs were also played during the procession.

Some of Lebanon’s political figures were present at the funeral, including the First Lady of Lebanon, Nehmat Aoun, and the wife of the country’s Speaker of Parliament, Randa Berri.

Elias Bou Saab, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Lebanon’s Minister of Culture, Ghassan Salameh, were also in attendance, as well as former president Michel Sleiman.

Salameh said: "It’s a great loss for Lebanon. He was a genius composer from a young age, a writer, a musician and a theatre director, but he also held on to his political positions, which I found very honourable. But most importantly, he was a social critic, who knew the ins and outs of Lebanese society, which he tried to understand profoundly".

Also present were members of the Rahbani family, including his aunt, singer Hoda Haddad. Famed personalities from the Lebanese artistic scene also attended the funeral, including the poet Talal Haidar, the musician Marcel Khalife and the singer Julia Boutros.

Rahbani's former partner, the actress Carmen Lebbos, was seen distraught as she paid respect to the musician.

Rahbani's funeral prayers will officially take place at 4pm local time, which Prime Minister Nawaf Salam will reportedly attend.

Hailing from one of the country’s most artistic families, Rahbani is the son of Fairuz, considered the great dame of Lebanon’s singers, and Assi Rahabni, one half of the Rahbani brothers, the composers who worked closely with the iconic Lebanese singer.

A staunch leftist and communist, the late Rahbani was also considered among the country's greatest personalities due to his commitment to resistance, the marginalised, secularism and Lebanese sovereignty in the face of Israeli threats. Rahbani was also a prominent champion of the Palestinian cause. 

His works encompass the albums Houdou Nisbi (Relative Calm) and Ana Moush Kafer (I am not an infidel). A prolific playwright, he also directed the play Film Amriki Tawil (The American Motion Picture), a satirical take on sectarian tensions amid the Lebanese Civil War.

He also worked extensively with his mother, having composed some of her greatest hits, including Sa'alouni Anass (People Asked Me) and Kifat Inta (How Are You?).

The 69-year-old is Fairuz’s second child to pass way. Her daughter, Layal, died in 1988 of a stroke.